


Lady Catherine de Bourgh has a pleasant fun-filled day

by AMarguerite



Series: A Monstrous Regiment [8]
Category: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, Temeraire - Naomi Novik
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 15:51:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18318437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMarguerite/pseuds/AMarguerite
Summary: It involves shooting the French, during the 1807 French invasion of England.





	Lady Catherine de Bourgh has a pleasant fun-filled day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BadassIndustries](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadassIndustries/gifts).



“Do you call that a square?” bellowed Lady Catherine. Her rag-tag millita, comprised of confused members of the gentry around the neighborhood of Rosings, and all of Lady Catherine’s tenants, seemed to have forgotten even the most elementary geometry. 

The French had reached Kent and were even now marching into the town of Rosings, but that was no excuse.

Lady Catherine would not have it said that her milita was  _sloppy_ and failed to live up to proper military procedure. She scolded all into rank and file with great dispatch, as the footmen ran about with shot and powder. Lady Catherine remained on horseback in the center of the square, scowling on the oncoming, but ragged column of French troops. They were very small in number and most horribly dressed. A show of organization, of concentrated force, might be enough to run them off. And what on earth was that square of dirty fabric they were pretending were their regimental colors?

“Fire!”

The column broke, and then clumsily regrouped about the pole with the dirty square of fabric on it. 

Positively filthy. She would never allow such a thing to cross the threshold of Rosings Park. Although... the captured French colors  _would_  look very nice above the mantle in the summer drawing room. A pair of crossed sabres above it might even elevate the whole into a decoration worth having. 

“Gun, Mr. Collins!” 

Mr. Collins passed her a loaded hunting rifle. Lady Catherine sighted down the barrel and shot down the French standard-bearer where he stood. The ordinary troops panicked and began rushing for the colors, trying to defend them.

“Mr. Collins,” said Lady Catherine, as the militia took their time reloading. (Disgraceful.) 

“Yes, Your Ladyship? And may I say what an excellent shot that was–”

“Yes, yes,” she snapped, thrusting her her rifle back at him. “I  _must_ have those colors. Reload.”

Mr. Collins did so immediately. “With pleasure, Your Ladyship.” 

“It is up to the aristocracy to set a good example for the lower classes,” said Lady Catherine, taking back the rifle. “And I mean to fulfill my duty.” 


End file.
